I use a Crumpler bag as my everyday/nappy bag and I have to say I love this bag. I have had it for about 3 years now, and after trying out all sorts of nappy bags, this one has worked the best for me and it looks good as well.
My lovely children’s ages span from nearly 2 to 9.5, so I need this bag to be ready to go all the time. Besides the essential items of nappies, nappy wipes and change of clothes for the toddler, there are some stock items that I like to have in the bag and replenish on a regular basis.
These are what I find useful and that might help me keep the children entertained if we get held up, or are at an adult focused activity. In no particular order they are:
(1). Tissues
I use a combination of this little travel packs and great big handfuls from the box at home. You can never have too many.
(2). Band aid
The healing power of a band aid is truly amazing! This particular item was actually the inspiration of this post. We were out and about lots over the weekend, fitting in activities before the warm weather fades for good , and I actually ran out of band aids. We had a particular accident prone week and I wished greatly that I had some in the bag yesterday when we were out. The crying time is dramatically reduced with my kids if I can place a band aid on the injury.
(3) Pencils and paper
I like to have a small pencil case, complete with pencils, rubber, pencil sharpener and some home made recycled note pads, in my bag at all times. I find this a particularly useful, if I am catching up at a cafe with someone for morning tea. The two smaller children will draw quietly (for a while at least) , so I can enjoy some uninterrupted conversation time.
(4). A pack of cards
I currently have a Playschool pack of cards in my bag, because I can play the memory game with all the children (except for the toddler). It is great to be able to pull the pack out and have a game if we are are stuck waiting somewhere. Although this is a 36 pack of cards, we can reduce the pack to 22 cards and play a smaller game if we have less room.
(5). Hair ties
I only have one daughter and her hair is just starting to get quite long. Possum doesn’t always like to have her hair tied up, but sometimes when we are out, her hair starts falling into her face and distracting her, so it is handy to have a couple stashed in the bag.
(6). Die
There are lots of different games you can play with a couple of die and it is easy to tweak games for different ages.
(7). Plastic shopping bags
I like to have a couple knotted and slipped into a side pocket. They are useful for many different things including putting dirty/wet clothes in and for rubbish if we are in a park which has a “carry in-carry out” policy.
(8). Toiletries
Sunscreen for the kids and deodorant for me! The children put on sunscreen in the morning, but with the hot Australian sun, it often needs to be reapplied regularly. I like to keep a small tube (contained within a zip-lock bag, in case of leakage) in a pocket of the bag. We are a very fair skinned family, so it doesn’t even have to be that hot for us to burn.
(9). Coins
After too many experiences of not having change for parking meters, I now stash away some coins in a very old film canister. I always look to my wallet first for coins, but it is great to have back up supplies if I find that there is none in the wallet.
(10). Safety Pin
A very simple but helpful tool in many situations. I have used it to hold together a dress strap (my own actually) and to rethread and hold together broken elastic in shorts.
What do you keep in your everyday bag?